The Clock of Death
by 39addict101
Summary: Something has happened to the clue hunters...now they're animals. They must figure out what to do to stop the clock of death running inside them.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! You know what I just realized? Half of my stories say thanks to I'mNotAGoodWriter.**

 **Well...I just realized this story is going to start the same way.**

 **Thanks to I'mNotAGoodWriter, who gave me this idea, and let me keep it!**

 **Well, this isn't that great, so maybe Miss Awesomesauce (see above name :D ) doesn't want her name in such a crappy story...but ah, well, she's stuck with it. :D**

 **Let's get started!**

The sun beat down mercilessly on the hardened sand. It rose in waves off the cracked ground, and shimmered in the light.

The viper Sinead slithered quickly, trying to avoid the heat on her tender stomach.

She was going to a meeting with other animals. The golden eagle, Ned, had told her about it.

The deadly viper was the leader of the lizards and snakes, so it was mandatory that she come.

Ned had only worked his way up to the top through years of killing to get there, unlike Sinead, who only had to eat a few small lizards to work fear into the other's hearts. They had quickly promoted her, which was just what Sinead wanted.

She stopped, ignoring the burning on her tender belly, and glanced up at the sun. She was late. Throwing herself forward, she slithered forward as fast as she could, trying not to eat too much dust.

Suddenly something pounced on her, and she felt herself being lifted off the ground.

"Put me down, you fool!" She hissed.

Whatever was holding her grunted, and then dropped her. "Ouch! What did you do that for!" She protested. Then she looked up into the handsome face of Ian, the wolf, and regretted her words.

"I only did as you said, milady." Ian said. Then he mumbled. "If you call a snake a lady."

Sinead hissed vile words at him and took off, gliding towards the selected meeting place.

Once again she felt Ian's sharp teeth crunch over her. "What this time?" She rasped.

"Dearie, we changed the location." The soft voice of Amy the gazelle said. Amy was beautiful, the way she floated easily over the dry sand and grass of the Sahara. Amy had gotten lucky. The rest of them...not so much.

Ian dropped her. He smiled down her, showing his sharp teeth. The sun shone on his silver-gray hair. Sinead hissed a couple profane things at him and slid away.

Amy delicately turned to Ian. "Why are you being so mean to her?" She asked, her voice soft.

Ian growled, "Because, she's a snake!"

Amy shook her small, dainty head. "Ian..." She paused. "What if it had been you?"

She looked over at Ian, who was panting, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. When he realized she was watching him, he abruptly pulled it back in.

"I...It wouldn't have been me." He finished sharply.

"Come." Amy said, taking a few steps on her slender legs, then pausing to wait for Ian. "Let's go meet up with the others.

She leapt away, effortlessly rising and falling on her fragile legs. Ian bounded after her, running just as easily.

Then it was that Amy realized that if time should pass any longer, she should not remain friends with Ian, the wolf. He had easily adjusted to his new body, and had learned to hunt quickly. With the rest of them, it had not been so easy.

She shuddered, and ran faster, leaping over a fallen log to see if Ian would be able to do it. He did, easily, his silver body rising off the ground effortlessly.

Her body shook as she ran faster, with Ian keeping pace with no difficultly.

Deftly, she turned a corner and came upon the destined meeting place, which was shaded with trees for rest.

A black panther leaped down from a tree surprising Amy, who leaped back in terror. "Hello, dear." Natalie purred.

Amy's graceful legs shook. "Uh, hi." She hadn't realized panthers leaped from trees. She would have to be more careful in the future.

Natalie lay down next to Amy and began licking herself clean. The sun shone down upon the panther, and caused her sleek body to shine.

Amy looked around her at the place she now called home. The sun mercilessly beat down on the dry, waving grasses, and the wind blew, howling out its distaste to the sun, causing everything in its wake to shiver and bend with fear.

She blinked her soft brown eyes, looking at the two predators around her. "Where is everyone else?" She asked.

Sinead popped up her ugly head from some dry grasses not far away. "Here." She said. "Don't know where anyone else is." She then went back down into her small grass nest.

Amy heard the drumbeat of hooves in the distance, and looked up to see a beautiful chestnut Arabian stallion galloping towards them.

The horse leaped over the same fallen log which, only a few minutes before, Amy and Ian had vaulted.

"Hello, Amy." Dan said, soft brown eyes looking down at the small cervid next to him. Then he took in Ian and Natalie, and involuntarily stepped back.

He looked at Amy trying to read her eyes.

She shook her frail head. _Not now._

Dan huffed, and lowered his head to graze on some of the greener grasses. They all looked up a while later to see Hamilton coming towards them, in the body of a gorilla.

They all gasped in unison, having not seen Hamilton...when...when _it_ had happened. They hadn't known what he had...become.

He was leading a bunny, and perched on his back was a large tarantula. "Hello, people." He said, then stopped, and scratched his massive head, as if trying to figure out whether or not that was the right thing to say. "I, uh, mean animals."

The tarantula scurried off Hamilton's back, and looked up at the others. "I'm Madison." It whispered.

The small rabbit looked up at everyone, and started shaking when it saw the snake, the panther, and the wolf.

Hamilton leaned over and whispered something to it, which they all heard anyway. "It's ok. They won't eat _you._ "

"Of course not." Ian said. His tongue lolling out of his mouth. "Does anyone know what happened to...wait, who's missing?"

Sinead slithered over. "Either Ted or Reagan."

The bunny seemed to realize they were all asking who it was, so it squeaked, "Uh, I'm Ted."

Amy stepped back in shock, one of her tiny hooves accidentally kicking Natalie's tender nose.

She growled.

"I'm so sorry!" The gazelle said, shaking.

Natalie batted the cervid with her paw, and she fell over.

"Careful!" Ian growled.

"Sorry." Amy said.

Hamilton reached over and picked Amy up, setting her back on her feet. "Reagan is a white rat. The problem is...she's in someone's house in a cage."

Everyone started yelling at the same time. Natalie growled, Dan tried to whinny as loud as possible to make herself heard, Ian howled, which stopped everyone abruptly.

"What?" Ian asked.

"Uh...no offense dude," Dan nickered, "But, first off, your howl sends chills down my spine, and second off, its not night, so...what are you howling at?"

"Uh...nothing." Ian growled, showing his teeth at the horse, who instinctively backed away, shaking.

"Guys!" Amy said. "We have a meeting to conduct!"

"Yes, let's get started." Ted said, shaking from fear of all the predators.

Sinead popped her head up. "I think I know how to get this stupid mouse out of the cage."

"Oh." Amy said, ignoring the viper, and flicking her silky ears forward, glancing around with an unreadable look in her eyes. "Shall the meeting come to order?"

 **What did ya'll think? Please tell me in a review, and let me tell you, flames or constructive criticism are ALWAYS welcome.**

 **Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Just a couple things to say before we get started. Thanks to Miss Awesomesauce and Star for reviewing. I really appreciate it.**

 **Also...thanks to Miss Awesomesauce again for reading part of this before I published it and telling me what she thinks.**

 **Star: I chose different animals because I wanted there to be a rodent, a deer (cervid, or, I made a mistake...so a gazelle is a bovid...XD) a horse...basically someone from each order. (Canine, feline, bovid, Rodentia, Areanea, Perissodactyla, etc. etc. ) Thanks for reviewing!**

 **I'mNotAGoodWriter aka Miss Awesomesauce: Hmmm...you made some really good points. I did describe Amy as frail because, well...just wait and see. :D**

 **Bovid...right...Ok...so, I was thinking, "Oh, gazelle, yeah that's a deer, deer are cervids!" LOL. Thanks for pointing that out. I really appreciate that.**

 **They don't have animal characteristics because they are slowly changing into animals. Remember from the first chapter where Amy was worried about Ian?**

 **She's worried his wolf side is going to overtake him, and that he'll kill and eat her.**

 **XD Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Phew, sorry for the verrrrrrryyyy long author's note.**

 **I'm sure you can forgive me. *winks***

 **Well...let's get started! Enjoy!**

 _Flames, licking, and roaring, devouring everything in its path. He smiled as he remembered that wonderful day._

 _The fire spread quickly, crackling and hissing, as it flew over the small valley._

 _The children were terrified. For help they turned to a magic potion, which had one small defect._

 _The flames hissed around them, trying to consume them in its roaring heat, but it couldn't. The children were gone_ _, protected by the bodies of animals, animals which were now invincible to fire...and vulnerable to everything else._

 _The years passed quickly. The animals changed gradually, losing more and more of their human characteristics, and gaining more and more of their animal characteristics._

 _Hakal smiled as he looked down at the poor, poor animals. They were conversing back and forth, arguing on the best way to fight the effects of the potion._

 _The gazelle, Amy, was his favorite. Right now her soft eyes her staring intently at everyone, trying to discern who was for her plan, and who was against._

 _The wolf, with his silver tipped gray coat, bared his teeth at something the beautiful gazelle was saying._

 _Hakal couldn't help but notice how the bovid had weakened so quickly. She was going to be the first to go._

 _He tried not to care. She was his morning star. He loved to watch her as she would bound across the gold grasses of the Sahara, flying over fallen trees, and easily avoiding every obstacle._

 _The gorilla was another story._

 _He wished that he had chosen a different animal for Hamilton. Perhaps...a gnat. Yes. He smiled as he thought of that obnoxious teen being a gnat. A bat would have eaten him within the first couple minutes._

 _Hakal was also pleased with his choices for the Kabras. They seemed to fit well into their predator bodies._

 _The girl, now a panther, was beautiful to watch as she soared through the treetops, dropping down on an unfortunate deer, or sometimes even a horse._

 _The wolf had quickly taken over, using his, what did they call it? Ah, yes, Lucian skills to maneuver the pack he led. That pack had become the most feared pack._

 _Hakal sniffed. If only he too, was not bound underneath the curse. It would have been quite fun to watch them kill each other, except that there time was ticking away...faster than they knew._

 _He turned to the small, frightened field mouse in a cage. "And how are you doing, my pretty?" He asked._

 _The rodent shook with fear, and backed into the farthest corner of the small, dirty cage._

Amy tried to keep the animal Cahills in order.

"We can't just run in there and expect to pull a rodent out of a cage!" Ian growled.

Hamilton shook his large head. "No. We have to do it."

Sinead smiled. "I could...go in there..." She let her words trail off.

Madison showed Sinead her tiny fangs, then spit, "Right...so you could eat her."

Sinead smiled again. "Maybe. Our objective is to get her out of the cage, right? If I...swallow her, she is most definitely out of the cage."

Amy flicked her eyes forward, her soft eyes boring into Sinead's. "Sinead. Listen. We can _not_ eat each other. How do you think that would work? We need to be all together if we're going to fight the effects of this poison."

Sinead shook her head. "Right. And what could one mouse do? Besides provide me with enough energy to last the day?"

Everyone exploded. Hamilton's black face seemed to turn a twinge of red.

Ian growled something nasty at Sinead, who hissed right back at him. Natalie and Dan argued, seeming to compete as too who could scream the loudest.

Dan's whinny was the last thing everyone heard before Amy had had enough.

"Shut up!" She roared, using energy she didn't know she had.

Everyone stared at the gazelle in silence.

"Listen." She said. "We can't fight. Not now."

Ian glared at her, his amber eyes gleaming. "Fine. But...I just realized something." He paused, letting his words sink in.

"What?" Dan asked, blowing air out his nostrils.

"Where's Jonah?"

The animals stared at Ian in shocked silence. "By George!" Dan whinnied. "He's right!"

Natalie growled in agreement, and began licking her sleek shiny black coat.

"Does anyone even remember seeing him, since...since... _it_ happened?" Amy asked, her gentle eyes peering intently at everyone.

Hamilton shook his head. "I dunno about you. But I haven't seen him."

"Me neither." Sinead said, sounding a little worried.

Amy flicked her ears forward, listening to the wind. "Guys." She whispered. "We need to leave. A storm is coming. NOW!"

The animals looked at her. Ian sniffed the wind, then shook his head. "It's going to be a big one all right." He said.

Amy leaped off, bounding through the golden green grass, with Ian sprinting after. Dan took off galloping behind them, kicking up dust with his large hooves.

Natalie climbed up the tree, and growled. Then she leaped to the ground and tore after the others.

Hamilton and his friends slowly followed in their dust.

 _The wind blew, howling out its fury at the earth. The rain poured down in torrents, beating down the golden grass._

 _Lightning cracked, like the crack of a whip. Thunder roared out its anger to the skies, and angry black clouds darkened the sun. And still the rain poured._

 _Hekel watched the Savanna, being beaten down by heavy rains, and he watched the people his magic had affected, huddle underneath a dripping palm tree, trying to shield themselves from the torrent of furious water cascading down on the miserable world._

 **How was it? Please tell me! I would really appreciate it.**

 **Also, I realized I don't think I went back to chapter one and changed it where I accidentally described Amy as a cervid...so sorry for any confusion there.**

 **Amy is part of the class bovidea, as MissAwesomesauce so helpfully pointed out.**

 **Review!**

 **Until Next Time,**

 **39addict101**


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is definitely shorter than the others, so I need to apologize.**

 **Thanks to scrittore18 for reviewing.**

 **scrittore18: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you think this is interesting, since that was my point. As for Jonah, you'll have to wait and see. :D**

The rain continued to pour, flattening the grass of the Savanna. The animals huddled under a tree, trying to dodge the drops of water plummeting from the sky.

Amy flicked her eyes forward, listening to the sound of the rain drumming on the once thirsty ground.

The wind seemed to scream in anguish, lamenting at the loss of sun.

Ian stared off into the distance, his eyes blank and hollow.

Amy's compassionate orbs bored into his. "What are you thinking about?" She asked gently, trying to peer into the wolf's dark mind.

Ian blinked. "Nothing." He said. "Just...hunting."

Amy took a slow step back, feeling the fear wash over her. "Ian!" She said. "You have to try to control yourself. If you don't...you might not be able to change back."

Ian licked his chops, ignoring Amy. "The thrill of it!" He said, eyes shining with a forbidden lust. "The chase." He ran his tongue over his well-used foot. "The blood." His eyes turned a shade darker, desiring something so animal that it made Amy, who herself was an animal, shudder.

"Ian!" She exclaimed, fear evident in her wide eyes. "That's so...carnal!"

Natalie, who had been licking her fur, looked up at Amy and shrugged. "I quite agree with Ian. There is something...amazing about hunting. Crouching, falling, biting." Her eyes seemed to gleam with the same lustful desire as Ian's had.

Dan looked from the wet grass he was eating. "You're kidding, right?"

"Frankly," Ian stated, "No."

Madison whispered something that sounded a lot like, "I enjoy sucking the blood out of insects too."

Sinead crawled over to Ian, and settled herself down by his feet. "Ah!" She said. "Finally, someone who sympathizes with me." She hissed, glaring at Amy.

Ian looked down at the snake who had pushed herself up to his stomach. He stood up and stepped away. His eyes burned with hate. "Let me tell you something, Sinead." He growled, showing his teeth. "I will never EVER sympathize with a snake."

Everyone stared in shock silence, as the predators and prey glared at each other.

Hamilton grunted, trying to break the awkward silence, then said. "Guys, about Reagan...and Jonah..." He let his words trail off.

"Right." Dan said. "We need to do something...anything, to get her. Besides," He paused, looking directly at Sinead's hateful eyes, "We could use her...to get the...antidote." He shook his head, sending his mane flying everywhere. "She can get places we can't, small nooks and crannies." He glanced over at Sinead again, who has glaring at him with angry eyes.

The viper hissed something vulgar, and then slithered back to her original resting place.

Amy flicked her ears forward listening to the sound of the rain, the thunder, and the lightning. Then she sighed, and glanced over at Hamilton.

"You're right." She said. "Hamilton, do you know where she is?"

Hamilton nodded. "She's a long way away. Like...a long way. I don't even know how we'll all get there."

Amy turned her head around. "Uh...how far away. Have you seen her?"

"Yes, I just don't know if she's been moved."

His vague answers were starting to annoy Ian, so he snapped, "Just tell us gorilla, everything. Spit it out."

Hamilton seemed intimidated by the wolf, so he nodded and began to speak.

 _Hekel heard the animals' plans, but he wasn't worried. None but Hamilton knew of his hiding place, and Hamilton could easily get lost. Quite easily, especially if he had a little...help._

 _He glanced over at the little white rat in the cage._

 _It was sleeping, its eyes closed, his small stomach rising and falling._

 _Hekel had always had a tender place in his heart for small things. When Reagan had been turned into this mouse, he had swooped down and rescued her, but, unfortunately, Hamilton Dolt, the gorilla, had seen him, and had somehow quietly followed him._

 _Hekel's vicious wolves had beaten him away, despite the gorilla's best fighting skills. Sure, two of his wolves had been killed, but everyone has to go sometime, right?_

 _He leaned over and picked up the white rat with three claws, admiring how its small body easily fit into his palm._

 _The rat awoke, and squealed, and began struggling to get away from the malicious claws around its body._

 _Hekel put the rat down, and then took off to manage his wolves._

 _When the wolves saw him coming, they quickly feel into line, growling and snapping at each other with their long teeth._

 _The leader, a large wolf with his right eye missing, stepped up to Hekel._

 _"Greetings." He said, dipping his silver tipped gray head to the floor. "How may we be of service?"_

 _Hekel looked at the wolf. "Get up." He squawked, "Now...there's these animals coming this way, I don't know if they'll even get here, or when they will. But I'm telling you to be on your guard. That gorilla is coming back, with reinforcements."_

 _One-eye seemed to visibly shudder, and then he nodded. "Yes. Of course, great eagle of the sky."_

 _Hekel knew his wolves would follow him to the letter, so he acknowledged his work was done, flapped his giant wings, and took off into the night sky._

 ** _Review please!_**

 ** _Thank you!_**

 ** _39addict101_**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to all who reviewed! I love you guys.**

 **I really missed all of you when I was gone. I'm so glad to be back.**

 **Hopefully, I didn't put anything in here that shouldn't be here, because of my long absence. That would suck.**

 **Well...enjoy the story.**

 _One-eye stared out with his good eye at the land around him. The hills rolled in their orderly fashion, tumbling and rocking, like frozen waves._

 _He growled low in his chest, thinking of the monster that had taken out his eyes._

 _The monster was coming back, this time with reinforcements, and this time, One-Eye would be ready. They would smite the monster's measly army, and they would feast._

 _If his nose was right, he smelled a horse and a gazelle. They would be easy._

 _But he also smelled wolf._

 _He could sense that this wolf was dangerous. This wolf would be_ his _victory. He himself would lunge for his jugular vein and tear through it, smiling as he watched the life ebb from its body with each drop of blood._

 _One-Eye grinned as he thought of it, showing his sharp, jagged teeth._

 _They would be ready. They would win._

 _Because if they lost again, it was strike three for them all._

Amy couldn't help but notice the ease with each Ian and Natalie stayed to the head of the group. While the rest of the animals faltered, and hung back, the Kabras seemed to fly as they ran, their legs seeming one continuous moving blur.

Natalie especially seemed to fly, her sleek black body soaring through the air with each bound.

Amy looked back at the others, who were still trying to keep up.

After Hamilton had told them everything they needed to know, which had taken a while, considering it was a gorilla they were talking about, they had all eagerly started off, running together as a group.

But now, the smaller animals were hanging back with Hamilton, who himself seemed to be cursing his body.

"Hamilton!" She cried, flicking her delicate ears back, "How's it going back there?"

Hamilton grunted something about his stupid legs not being long enough, and then said, "Fine."

Dan was getting frustrated, Amy could tell that he wanted nothing more than to break into a gallop, rather than a slow trot.

Finally he wheeled around and turned to Hamilton and his small companions. "We're leaving!" He announced, stomping his foot.

Hamilton grunted, looked at the small animals around him, and nodded. "You're right." He said. "We're just slowing you down. I don't want them in the battle anyway. I'll catch up to you after I find a safe place for them to sleep."

Dan nodded, spun around and galloped off. Ian and Natalie ran after him. Amy turned back to Hamilton, who was gathering "his" animals around him. "Are you sure you'll be ok?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. Do you guys know how to get there?" He asked.

"Yes," Amy said, turning to go on a slender foot. "I'll meet you there."

With that, she turned and bounded off, gracefully leaping over tall grass and fallen logs in the direction she had last seen her brother and two predators go.

-The Cure-

When Amy caught up with them, she was exhausted. Her frail legs were not used to running long distances. They were better made for short sprints, in order to get away from dangers.

The Kabras and Dan were waiting for her, resting under a small tree, which provided little shade from the now scorching sun.

She sank down wearily next to Dan, and then looked at the Kabras, who still looked fresh.

Natalie was licking her paw. She turned to Ian. "Brother, are you as hungry as I am?"

Ian growled his agreement, and stood up, the sun shining on his silver hairs. He made a beautiful picture, except for the fact that his eyes held the ghoulish light of death.

"Let's go." He said, licking his chops.

The two predators took off, hurdling towards their next target.

Dan whistled, "Phew, I thought they meant us."

Amy nodded, quivering. "Me too. I do feel bad for whoever they're going to eat...but I'm just glad we aren't their objective."

Dan nodded, his forelock flying up and down. "We should eat too, and regain our strength. Something tells me that this won't be an easy battle."

Amy flicked her ears forward, listening. Then she shook her head. "You're right. Let's go find something to eat."

After a while of her and Dan grazing, they heard Ian and Natalie coming back. Dan snorted, jumping away. "I can smell the blood on them."

Amy nodded, trying not to let nausea overtake her. Despite the fact that she was a gazelle, she still held some of her human characteristics, as they all did. These characteristics, however, were quickly disappearing, more so in the predators.

When the two past siblings came into view, Amy recoiled at the crimson stain around both of their mouths.

The Kabras walked up to the Cahills, ignoring them. They continued to walk in the direction towards the castle. When neither Amy nor Dan followed, Ian wheeled around and growled, "Aren't you coming, or are you going to just stand there and watch us?"

Amy bounded up next to him, every sense screaming for her to run, to flee, to fly away as if she had wings.

She ignored this sense, and suddenly, she didn't seem to notice them anymore.

She looked over at Natalie, whose black mouth held an even darker stain around it, a blacker black mark of her feast.

She saw Dan's hide quivering with fear, but she was proud of him for not saying anything.

Amy looked over at Ian, whose amber eyes stared off into the distance.

"Ian?" She whispered, flicking her ears forward. "Are you ok?"

Ian shook his head. "No!" He cried. "No! I'm not ok. I like to act like I'm fine with this whole animal thing, but I'm not. Every time I go and kill some animal and eat it, I feel myself weakening to this black magic. I..." He paused, a shudder running through his silver body. "I...I think that if we submit to our animal desires, the faster we'll go down."

 **Hahahahahaha! Cliffie! I hate those...and every single one of you out there has done it to ME, so now I have to pay you back.**

 **Well, please, PLEASE, pretty please review...it will make my day.**

 **If you don't review, I might have to abandon this story.**

 **(I wouldn't, I love it too much...but ya know, gotta threaten somehow!)**

 **Review people! Review!**

 **Glad to be Back,**

 **39addict101**


	5. Chapter 5

_Hekel stared down at his pack of wolves, who were preparing to fight._

 _It shouldn't be hard, he told himself, to kill a gazelle, a horse, and a wolf. The panther was what he was worried about. She could strike, and kill with one swat of her large paw. One bite to the back of the wolves' necks, and they were done._

 _The gazelle, why, he wouldn't have to feed his wolves tonight._

 _But then he remembered Amy. Amy was the gazelle. The way she flitted about, dancing on her dainty split hooves, her large wondering eyes staring off, comprehending things that normal animals wouldn't._

 _He loved gazelle Amy, but he wouldn't let his wolves know that. It was a weakness, something he didn't want them to see._

 _So he flapped his big wings, and took off into the glaring sun._

* * *

Ian could smell the wolves, but he could also smell their anticipation at tearing his flesh.

He turned to Amy, who was bounding beside him.

Her soft eyes stared down into his hard, dark eyes, and he said, "They'll kill you."

Amy looked at him, her ears flicked forward, listening to the wind, and the wolves howling in the distance. "I don't care." She said. "It doesn't matter."

Ian looked back at his sister, who was padding along, bringing up the rear of the sad group.

She held her head erect, and her eyes gleamed. She was more excited about killing then she let on.

They rose up another hill, and looked down at the golden green grass waving in the slight breeze, and at the wolves, who were drooling and howling for all they were worth.

"Charge." Ian said. "Let's take them by surprise." He took off, his feet flying, and when he looked back, Amy was gone.

She was running next to him, her neck outstretched, and her feet lifting high off the ground with every leap.

Amy easily kept pace with him, and she didn't appear to be tiring.

Dan was full out running, the rhythmic beating of his large hooves letting Ian know where behind him Dan was.

Natalie was silently sprinting, the pads of her feet touching the ground for a split second, and then rising again. She was nothing more than a black blur.

The tall grass parted for them as they ran, and to anyone watching from above, it would only seem that the wind had just barely touched a clump of grass before moving on.

And then they reached the wolves.

Ian sprang on one, and dug his teeth deep into the wolves neck. With a shake of his head, he flung the wolf towards a tree, where it hit it, screaming, and then lay silent.

Three more leaped on top of him, their teeth slashing and cutting, and he felt the blood run down from his torn shoulder.

Then they were off, and he looked up to see Natalie, who nodded at him, and then sprang on another wolf.

Then he heard the familiar cry of a wounded deer.

Amy was lying on the ground, her stomach torn, and wolf had his jaws closed around her neck. One more second, and she'd be dead.

It was like a slow motion horror film. Ian leaped towards Amy, but then he felt himself knocked out of the air, and falling to the ground, another wolf on top of him.

He bit him viciously, and then ran to Amy.

The wolf shut his jaws.

Amy screamed, and then her eyes seemed to glaze over, and she stopped breathing.

Amy was dead.

Ian could smell her terror, and the look in her cloudy eyes seemed to say, "Ian. You could have saved me. Why didn't you?"

He turned, and grimly turned back to the battle.

He fought, slashing with his teeth, while Natalie held his back. Wolves jumped on top of her, but she shook them off, and swatted them. The wolves were no match for the Lucian panther.

And then it was over. The remaining wolves ran off whimpering, and Ian and Natalie looked at the pile of bodies around them. "Where's Dan?" Ian suddenly asked.

The stallion was no where to be seen.

"And where's Amy?" Natalie said, looking at Ian.

One look into his eyes, and she knew. "I'm sorry." She said, "Where is she?"

They came over to where the body lay, and saw Dan lying next to her, his body shredded from the wolves' teeth. "She's dead." He whinnied, pure terror and frustration and anger and sorrow in his voice.

Ian could smell the blood, both off the horse and the dead gazelle. It infuriated his senses, and all he wanted to do was to sink his teeth into the soft meat. He buried his nose deep in the dirt, trying to avoid the smell. When the lust passed, he stepped away, and suddenly, he was full of revulsion at what he'd done.

He looked back at the mangled bodies of the canines around him, and he felt bile rising in his throat.

And then suddenly, he was surrounded by light. He felt his feet lift off the ground, and he was spun in a cloud of bright white light, and his eyes stung and his hands reached up to cover his eyes. Wait...hands?

Then he was down on the ground again, and he was normal.

He was still wearing the suit he'd been wearing, on that awful day, and he could smell the smoke on himself, see the specks of ash on his white shirt.

Dan and Natalie stared at Ian. "What did you do?" They asked.

Ian shook his head, and tried to talk. His vocal chords were scratchy, and he answered in wolf.

Natalie stared at her brother, and then she wailed, "Oh, no! We're stuck with our animal languages!"

Ian shook his head, and tried again. "I..." It hurt to speak. "I don't know!" He said, pride filling him.

And then suddenly, like someone had turned off the lights, he remembered. Amy Cahill was dead.

* * *

 **Oh, I know, you all hate me! Don't worry. I've got this figured out...I think. :D**

 **Please review, and sorry it took me _FOREVER_ to update. **

**-39addict101**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Thanks to those who reviewed.**

 **I'mNotAGoodWriter: A special thanks to you, for sticking with this awful story.**

 **Really? You thought my fighting scenes were good? I love LOVE writing fighting scenes. Its just so fun. Especially between animals.**

 **Really? I can't kill off a main character? I just did.**

 **I love your theories. I might just use some of them...if you don't mind.**

 **After all, I got the original idea from you, so maybe I should use my own mind. :P**

 **Well, anyway, you people enjoy the story.**

* * *

Hamilton came lumbering up to them, breathing heavily. "Did we win?" He asked. Then he noticed Ian, and he sat down, hard. "Ian!" He said, "You're, you're normal!"

Ian nodded. "And Amy's dead." His face and voice were hollow and flat. "And its my fault." Hamilton's face dropped with disbelief.

Natalie shook her head. "No. Its not." She growled. "Its not your fault. You couldn't have done anything to prevent it."

Ian ran a hand through his dark hair. "Where's the others?" He asked. "We need to go in and rescue Reagan and find Jonah."

Hamilton stared at Ian, and then blinked. "Oh." He said. "Um...Sinead's coming, and I left Madison and Ned back at the tree."

Dan got to his knees, and then pushed himself up, grunting. "What about Ted?" He asked.

Ian pointed to the sky (causing the other's immense jealously at him being able to _point_ ) There was a dark spot circling, coming closer to the ground with each swirl. "There." He said. "I think that's Ted."

But as it came closer, all the animals (and Ian) could see was that that was one heck of a bird. Its wing span was huge and its beak was long and hooked. The monster coming down from the sky was _definitely NOT_ Ted.

Dan looked up, his mane blowing in the wind, his nostrils flared. "What the heck is that?" He questioned, voicing the thought that everyone had, but lacked the courage to say.

The bird grew closer with each breath they took, and Natalie hissed, and backed up a tree, her tail fluffed. Everyone took shelter, Ian climbing into the tree with Natalie, and Dan and Hamilton inching as far under the tree as they could.

The body of the gazelle lay where it had fallen, dried blood crusted on matted fur, glazed eyes staring up at the sky, towards the creature coming towards them.

And then it landed.

The silver winged bird swooped down towards the body, emitting an inhuman shriek when it saw that she was dead. It brought its clawed foot up to its cruel face, and _cried?_

Dan looked at the bird, and stepped forward a small step, his neck arched, and nostrils flaring, trying to smell if the creature was good or bad.

And then they heard the growl.

Dan whirled, and saw a huge one-eyed wolf staring at him, his teeth bared. Saliva flowed freely from between the sharp teeth. It growled low in its chest, and then it sprang forward, and Dan jumped up, screaming.

Blood flew freely from a wound on his chest, and he landed, stunned, and then sank to his knees.

Natalie screamed, leaping down from the tree, just as the wolf lunged for Dan's neck, and Hamilton finally realized what was happening. "No!" Dan cried. "Don't help me! I want to die!"

Ian looked up, from where he had been staring off into the sky. "Yes!" He cried. "Dan! Don't fight for yourself."

Natalie was now in full combat with the wolf, snarling and hissing, and biting. Hamilton turned. "What are you saying!" He screamed. "Never! Give! Up!"

"Exactly!" Ian cried, shaking his head. "Animals never give up! Humans do!"

Dan stood up. "I hear you, Ian!" He cried. "But I can't give up. Not now. I need to avenge Amy's death." Screaming out his battle cry, he galloped for the eagle.

Ian stared to where Dan was galloping, the thundering of his hooves kicking up dust. He was galloping straight towards the large bird. With bated breath, he watched as Dan hit the bird knocking him over. "Leave her alone!" He cried.

Ian swiveled his head to where Natalie was still fighting for her life with the wolf. Both of them were bloody and panting, and Ian wasn't sure whose blood was on their bodies.

He saw Sinead slinking through the grass. His gaze narrowed, and he couldn't help but notice something about the way the wolf fought.

When he fought, it was like he was dancing. His teeth slashed, and he moved away from his opponent in a rhythm. His breaths even seemed to be perfectly timed. It was like it was an art.

"Sinead!" He called all of a sudden, noticing where she was heading. She was going to bite the wolf's unprotected foot. "Don't!"

Sinead whirled around, glaring at him with all the hatred in her cold snake eyes. "Why?" She hissed. "He'll be gone!"

"Because!" Ian said. "Just. Trust. Me!"

At that moment, Natalie lunged for an unguarded shoulder and ripped it to the bone. Blood flowed out of the open wound, and the wolf fell to the ground. Natalie smiled and leaned in for the fatal bite.

Her eyes showed cruel hatred, and love of death. "Don't!" Ian cried.

Natalie's reaction was the same as Sinead's. "Why?" She said, placing a paw over the bleeding wolf's body.

"Because!" Ian cried, biting his lip, something clicking in his brain. "Its Jonah!" He exclaimed, triumphant.

Sinead and Natalie did a double take. "What!?" They both shouted at the same time. Hamilton looked concerned. "I took out the poor dude's eye!" He exclaimed.

"And how did he end up working for _him_?" Natalie asked, suspicious.

The bird swooped down. "Why don't you ask me?" He asked. "Ian, I see you've done what I never could accomplish." He nodded respectfully at the boy who was crouched up in the tree. "Sinead. Natalie. Dan."

Dan had come back a while ago, having chased the bird off to the skies. "I asked him too." Hekel said. "I am Hekel. I am the one who made the potion you drank. And, unfortunately, I didn't make an antidote, at least not one I could figure out.

"So why don't you ask me about Jonah?"

* * *

 **Hahahaha. Another cliffie. Sorry.**

 **Review, and I'll write more.**

 **-39addict101**


	7. Chapter 7

A million snarls, growls, and shrieks erupted at once.

Hekel looked confused, glancing from one person/animal to another.

Ian rolled his eyes, and held up a hand for silence. "Hekel . . . how did you get Jonah working for you. And Jonah," Ian pointed over to a clump of grass. "Go lie over there."

He looked up at Hekel. "What we would like to know is how Jonah ended up working for you. _And_ how you made this . . . _stuff_ that we drank. "

Hekel looked at the ground. His feathers were shining in the sunlight, and his beak opened and closed with a _snap._ "I . . . I don't remember."

Dan snorted. "Right. I'm sure you remember perfectly."

Hekel's eyes bulged out. "NO!" He shrieked, raising his beak to the sky. "I don't know! I'm forgetting everything! With each day that I live I'm becoming more and more animalistic. The only thing keeping me on the borderline was . . . was . . . _her._ " He pointed a claw towards Amy, who lay still, the blood dry on her throaSinet.

"Oh." Ian said, his voice choked, tearful. "I think I understand."

The huge bird cocked his tiny head. "You do?"

Ian nodded. "Yes. Amy was my everything. She was the reason my heart kept beating. She was the reason I'm a human. I loved her so much that I resisted my animalistic urge to feast upon her carcass."

Hamilton laughed. "It was that simple? I don't believe it. We've been trying for years to find the cure, and all you have to do is resist? Right."

Ian nodded. "I think? I mean, I don't know."

Sinead smiled, if a snake could smile. "He doesn't know what he's talking about. He probably found the cure a long time ago. When he saw Amy was dead, he decided to change back, because who wants to be an animal without Amy?" Her normally brisk, chilly voice changed. "I . . . I miss her too."

She looked over at Amy's still animal form. Her long neck was lying at a twisted angle to her dainty body, and there was dried blood crusted on her sleek fur. Jonah lay next to her, his fur bloodied, with white bone showing on his leg. Jonah turned his head to look at Amy. His eyes were glazed over with pain, but he said, "Guys, is it just me, or is there something wrong with Amy's body?"

Everyone stared at him. Ian stood up. "It looks like its dead to me."

Jonah shook his head. "Maybe I'm wrong, but, I don't know, its just different."

Natalie opened her mouth, showing long teeth and a pink tongue. She ran her tongue over a bloody paw, and then stood up. She padded over to where Amy lay, and stared silently at the body. "I don't know, Jonah, but I think you're right. I've killed a lot of animals in my time, and she looks . . . I don't know, peaceful, maybe?"

Jonah growled low in his chest. "Right! Normally a dead animal that's been killed has a scared look in its eyes, and, I don't know, but Amy looks . . . peaceful, like you said, Natalie."

Ian ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know if you guys are right or not, but I'm telling you, when I saw her, when I was still a wolf, she was dead. And her glazed eyes looked normal."

Hamilton scratched his head. "Then what happened?"

"I don't know." A light voice said from behind them. "But all I know is that I'm here, and that's my body over there."

Ian whirled around to find Amy standing by the sharp tree. Her mane of fiery hair was tied behind her in a simple ponytail, and she was wearing cut-off jeans and a T-shirt, similar to what she had been wearing that fateful day.

Her eyes were light, and cheery, and before Ian knew what he was doing, he was running towards her, his arms open wide. She was running towards him too, and then they were in each other's arms.

They grabbed each other, and held each other tightly, relishing the feel of two human bodies contacting, instead of a brush of fur against fur. Ian's hands ran up to Amy's shoulders, and he pushed her away, looking at her in the eye. "How long, Amy Cahill, have you been standing back there?"

Amy smiled. "Long enough to hear your confession."

Ian turned bright red. "I meant it, you know." His voice was low, husky, and his hands were tight on Amy's shoulders.

"Right." Sinead scoffed. "You wouldn't have said it if you'd seen her."

Ian frowned. "Actually, I think I would have."

Then his lips were on Amy's, and even Sinead's eyes were watering.

* * *

The couple stood hand in hand, looking at the animals sleeping on the grassland. Ian turned to Amy. "How'd you come back?" He asked.

Amy shrugged. "I think, at the end, I stopped fighting. I think I let him kill me. But I'm not sure."

Ian frowned. "You know, I don't know. But I do know this, If you hadn't sacrificed yourself, I'd still be a wolf, thinking about eating you."

Amy laughed. "You know I was terrified of you, right?"

Ian smiled smugly. "I could smell it."

Amy frowned. "You can't . . . . still smell know, can you?"

Ian looked confused. "No, why?"

"You need to take a bath."

* * *

 **Ahahaha! To the few of you who are still riding this, thank you!**

 **I couldn't resist making this Amian, even tho I know I don't write it very well. I must apologize.**

 **I hope I haven't turned any of you off.**

 **Sorry it took me FOREVER to update.**

 **I'll update soon . . . maybe. :P**

 **-Addict**


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